1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to sensors and, in particular, to sensor systems for detecting the movement of objects.
2. Background
Missile defense includes detecting, tracking, and neutralizing missiles. Missile defense may be especially useful for surface ships. When surface ships are near the shore, missile launches may pose dangers to the surface ships.
Sensor systems are used to detect missile launches. The sensor systems may be carried by aircraft. The aircraft may perform reconnaissance missions to detect missile launches. In performing these types of missions, the aircraft has telescopes that are configured for use in detecting missile launches. These telescopes are moveable, mounted, and frequently operated by human operators.
Additionally, ships may scan the horizon using telescopes to look for incoming missiles that may skim the surface of the water. These types of telescopes have a limited field of view. As a result, the number of telescopes needed to provide a preferred coverage and number of operators to operate the telescopes may be greater than desired. Because of their narrow field of view, telescopes may miss launches at the moment they occur, reducing the amount of response time to the launch.
Other sensor systems may include forward looking infrared (FLIR) sensors. These types of sensors detect heat to generate an image. These sensors may include cameras that detect infrared light. The sensors may include various components such as filters, cryogenic cooling, and complex arrays of detectors. These sensors also are movably mounted because of the limited fields of view. With the increased complexity and the presence of moveable parts, the maintenance that may be needed for these sensor systems may be greater than desired.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus that takes into account at least some of the issues discussed above as well as possibly other issues.